Former councilman pitches Black-history banner program for Greenburgh streets

Ken Jones, a former councilman and spokesperson for the Greenburgh Black History Museum initiative, asked the Greenburgh Town Board on Jan. 13 to let the group hang banners honoring local Black residents who have shown leadership, artistic or cultural influence.

"You've probably seen similar banners hanging in other jurisdictions," Jones told the board, adding that the project’s goal is to make local histories visible. Jones said the initiative already has 10 completed banners and has reserved five or six additional slots for town-board suggestions, bringing the likely first set to roughly 15.

Jones requested the town’s Department of Public Works assist with installing the banners on municipal light poles and advised the board about practical constraints: deed restrictions on a historic home already included on the list and the need to avoid state-controlled roads. "The only additional help that we would be seeking from the town is the assistance of the Department of Public Works and hanging the banners themselves," he said.

Board members discussed two placement strategies: concentrating banners along a single corridor for visual impact or dispersing them across neighborhoods so more residents can see local history. One board member said concentrated placement creates a "critical mass" that is striking; Jones suggested the group could rotate banners and later move them to sites near honorees’ former homes.

The board asked about timing. Jones said the group’s goal is to have banners up in February to coincide with Black History Month and to hold an opening reception at the library when installation is complete. He said the timeline will depend on the town’s DPW schedule and requested that board members submit street suggestions promptly.

The board did not take a formal vote; members asked Jones to follow up by email with proposed locations and to coordinate with DPW and town staff on logistics.